Gemina Soror
by IRunWithWolves18
Summary: My second try. Reagan Atwood is Ryan's twin sister. This is her side of the story.
1. Chapter 1

Gemina Soror

Author's Note: This is my second try of this story. Gemina Soror is Latin for twin sister, something that I seem to imagine in many of the movies/T.V. shows/books that I see/read nowadays. My hope for this story is to have a chapter for each 'big thing' that I can see in the episodes I have been re-watching (like the pilot, the cotillion ball, important interactions with Caleb, Marissa, Summer, Taylor, etcetera). I would like to acknowledge the authors on here that have given me many of the stories that I love reading over and over, including Lori2279 (author of Hearts Breaking Even, which made me really like the idea of Taylor being Seth's childhood friend and sudo-sister) and mellowenglishgal (author of Lilium Inter Spinas, the original version of which I liked for the idea of Ryan having a sister who was dating Marissa's brother).

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Disclaimer: I do not own The O.C. that is Josh Schwartz. Anything and you recognize from the show is his work and not mine.

-1—2—3—4—5—6—7—8—9—10—

Author Note: this story is going to be in journal form, from the point of view of Reagan Atwood, Ryan's fraternal twin sister. Reagan is like Ryan in many ways, but is also more introverted; to the point where she has trouble connecting with people unless she knows them really well (kind of like I am myself). I hope to keep the story as close to cannon as I can, but since it is an individual POV there is going to be some differences, based on Reagan's feelings about certain things. I'm going to start the story on the 5th of August 2003, since that is the day that the pilot of the O.C. first aired.

Chapter One:

5th August 2003

Newport, California

I am having a hard time trying to understand it all. Ryan has been arrested. Ryan…who has never been in trouble like Trey…has been arrested. Of course Trey was with him, and had actually been the one who: a- stole a car, b- had a gun in his jeans, c- had pot on him, and d-fled from the cops with Ryan in the passenger seat of the now totaled stolen car. It all seems like a bad dream. Ryan was lucky to get assigned Sandy Cohen as his public defender. Sandy was able to convince the judge to get Ryan out on probation and not juvie. But Dawn? Oh, our mother was furious at Ryan. One would think that Ryan was the worst son that ever existed the way Dawn was acting. How dare he make her look like an unfit mother? I laugh now but at the time it was bad watching her tearing around the house yelling at him. Ryan was barely home an hour before Dawn was throwing him out on the street saying that she couldn't deal with him and that he was just like our dad and should be locked up next to him. After that, well, I didn't stick around myself. I packed what little clothes I had in my backpack, grabbed the money I had hidden under my floorboard and got out of there, taking my bike with me since I knew Ryan had his already and I needed to catch up to him as fast as possible.

I thankfully found Ryan a couple blocks away at a payphone. He was surprised to see me of course but I think he was glad that I was there, not that he would have ever let it show. Ryan called just about everyone that we could think of to find a place for us to stay for the night. It was getting later and later and we still had nowhere to go. Finally, Ryan pulled out the card that Sandy had given him when Dawn came to get him from the police station.

When Sandy came driving up in his Mercedes, I was almost convinced that it was the wrong car. I mean, what public defender can afford that car? Ryan seemed to agree with me since he asked Sandy about it after introducing the two of us. Sandy had laughed and said that he didn't make that kind of money, but his wife did. He told us about his wife, Kirsten, and their son, Seth, as we drove further and further from Chino. Finally, after what seemed like hours we got to this gated community that screamed money. Up a few drives from the guard-house was the Cohens' house, the biggest one that I have ever seen. It was more like a mansion than a house.

Sandy stopped the car and got out, asking that Ryan and I stayed outside for a minute so he could explain to Kirsten about us. It seems that he hadn't said a word to his wife about bringing us home with him. After Sandy left, Ryan and I walked down to the end of the driveway. Ryan wanted a cigarette and I didn't want to be left alone by the car. I was unnerved being by the expensive house in an expensive car and it was getting to me.

While Ryan lit his cigarette, a girl came walking up the driveway next door. She was tall, much taller than my humble 5'3 and thin, almost waif-like, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. The girl, who was dressed like she was going to a party, saw us standing by the driveway and just stared and asked who we were. Of course Ryan, being Ryan, answered with a cocky pick-up line but the girl wasn't fazed, which I liked. She bummed a cigarette from Ryan and coolly lit up, watching us out of the corner of her eye. Then, suddenly she just turned to Ryan and looked him in the eye and flat out asked him to seriously tell her why he was there. And Ryan, just…told her, everything. I just stared in shock at him. But the girl just smiled at him. "Nah," she said, "for reals- you're their cousins from Boston right?" I was looking back and forth like 'what?' when Sandy came down the driveway towards us, making the girl through her cigarette into the bushes like she was trying to hide it and making it obvious she had done it to Sandy, who didn't say a word. Sandy greeted her, letting me and Ryan know her name was Marissa, and she said that she had just met "your niece and nephew." Sandy, who looked like he was a smart man (you wouldn't know it by the fact that he had naively brought his "juvenile felon" client and the client's sister home with him but I had to give him some credit), caught on and went along with Marissa, trying to steer the conversation away from where Ryan and I had come from and onto a fundraiser that was happening the next day (i.e. tonight just before I am writing this) that Marissa seemed to be involved in. after a few minutes of small talk, Sandy ushered us inside the house, leaving Marissa standing by her driveway waiting. She didn't wait long before a massive car came up with hip-hop music blasting, which made me wince a little. I looked back in synch with Ryan and saw Marissa get in and kiss the driver, who looked like the stereotypical California jock (bleach-blonde, tanned, and obnoxious).

Inside, Sandy introduced us to Kirsten, who smiled a little nervously and showed us to the guest house by the pool. There is a queen-sized bed in there that Ryan and I shared last night. Not a big deal to share, we've done it before. Kirsten looked uneasy, which I understand. She doesn't know us, but knows that Ryan at least has done some bad things, and she is uneasy about having us be in her home around her family. But she was nice enough for just meeting us and that was okay.

That night both Ryan and I barely slept. Both of us tossed and turned and I eventually gave up around 3 a.m. Ryan was able to get some sleep but I just sat on a chair by the window and stared out at the ocean watching the waves. I managed to doze a little in the chair and woke up when Ryan groaned and got out of bed himself. The sun was up and shining, a perfect day. Walking into the living room, we came across Seth, the Cohens' son playing video games. He was a little startled to see us but invited us to play anyway. I've got to admit, Ryan was pretty good for someone who's never played that game before. I was happy to just sit back and watch them while Sandy and Kirsten watched from the kitchen. After the 'epic fight' between Seth and Ryan, the three of us went onto Seth's boat, the "Summer Breeze", which he apparently had named after this girl he likes, Summer Roberts, who coincidentally happens to be girl-next-door Marissa's best friend. He also introduced us to his best friend, Mason Cooper, who just so happens to be Marissa's twin brother (talk about irony), and who had just come back to Newport that morning from a surfing competition in Mexico. Mason is nice, funny and…well…very cute. He didn't seem like the typical rich boy type and was more down to earth, which I really liked. The four of us spent most of the day on the "Summer Breeze" talking. Seth told Ryan and I about his dream of sailing to Tahiti and Mason talked about his surfing trip and staying on the beach. We got back to the Cohens' a little bit before we had to get ready for the Fashion Show fundraiser Marissa and Sandy had talked about last night. Mason said that he would see us there, since he was apparently taking photographs of the event for the organizers. It seems like he is the non-official 'official' photographer for the well-to-do events in Newport.

Ryan looked pretty good in the suit that Seth loaned him and I have to admit that I liked the dress Kristen let me borrow. It wasn't very dressy but just enough to make me look like I belonged in Newport, at least for a little while. When we got to the St. Regis it was like walking into another world. Everyone and their dog (of which I could see a few) glimmered in gold, silver, and pricy jewelry. It was like it was a party for Hollywood or something. Ryan and I were swarmed with people asking about us, where were we from, how did we know the Cohens? Sandy was able to help us by introducing us as cousins from Boston, but many of the "Newpsies" (as Seth and Sandy called them behind their backs) were either drunk or just oblivious and got the 'story' wrong a lot. I had a hard time keeping my face straight at one point and Mason had to rescue me. I think he saw my face and knew that I was about to lose my composure. He was able to make an excuse to get me away from the woman who had cornered me and brought me over to where he had set up his cameras (yes, cameras, he had five or six sitting on the table waiting for the fashion show to start). We talked for a bit, Mason telling me about his family and Newport itself and me telling him about my family and why Ryan and I were in Newport (Seth had been purposefully vague with him earlier).

The fashion show part of the night wasn't bad. The models were all around my age or a bit older and Marissa seemed to be the leader for them, with Summer and a few other girls being featured more than the others. The clothes looked great but I knew that I would never be able to afford them, especially these 'couture' types. But watching with Mason was pretty nice. He kept a running commentary for me while we moved around, him taking pictures and me trading cameras with him when he needed a different one. Some of the things he said were funny little comments about the model, the clothes they were modeling, and/or the model's parents. I think I learned more about Newport from those couple of hours than I did before.

After the Fashion Show Mason left with his parents and little sister Kaitlin back to their house so he could start going through his photos and see what he got while Seth and Ryan disappeared to a beach party that Ryan had been invited to. Summer Roberts, Seth's crush, 'liked the look' of Ryan. I think Ryan only accepted because of Seth, who was all-to-happy to follow Ryan off to the party. I went back with Sandy and Kirsten to their house and, while the car ride was a little awkward, we were able to talk a bit. I told them about living in Chino and the after-school jobs that I had so I could save up money for my eventual leaving, and how Ryan and I were pretty good students considering where we went to school. I mean, quite a few of the girls I had gone to elementary school with have dropped out either last year as freshman or before for being pregnant or just plain 'done with school' in their words. I was lucky in the guys I dated. They weren't the kind that would try and pressure me to do anything I didn't want to do; not that they would have had the chance with Trey and Ryan as my brothers. We also talked about what I wanted to do after high school. I told them that, ever since I was first diagnosed with HCM when I was a toddler, I wanted to do something in the medical field after seeing all the nice doctors and nurses who took care of me in the hospital. I also mentioned how Ryan had small dreams about being an architect or something like that after working some construction jobs for one of Dawn's old boyfriends a few years ago. Kirsten was surprised at Ryan's interest and told me that she was a real estate developer through the Newport Group, her father Caleb's company and knew a lot about architecture.

Kirsten and Sandy were of course a little alarmed at my oh-so-casual mention of my HCM and basically grilled me about it after. Kirsten had this look on her face that I can't get out of my mind and I can't really place it either. It was like she was frightened and angry at the same time. Sandy asked if I needed any of my medication or anything but I assured him that I was good. My meds (the beta-blockers and ACE inhibitor to help my ICD regulate my heartrate) are always in my backpack and I have enough for at least another two months, until school starts again. He then asked if I had a cardiologist and I said no. My old doctor, Dr. Peters, passed away a few months ago, but I still had enough refills to make it to when I could see a new doctor, I just haven't seen a new one yet. That answer didn't seem to sit well with Sandy, who furled his brow in thought.

When we got to the house I headed out here to the pool house to change out of Kirsten's dress. Rosa, the Cohen's maid, was cleaning and I accidentally startled her, making her curse in Spanish, which I took great pleasure in responding in to her as I apologized. She was little surprised by that but seemed to take in stride as she finished cleaning and left, but I saw the look that she gave me as she went out the door, like she didn't know what to make of me. I quickly changed and went back inside to give Kirsten her dress and then sat in the living room with Sandy watching some movies he had rented to watch. We had just finished the live-action "Scooby-Doo" movie when Kirsten joined us and we started the James Bond movie "Die another Day", which Kirsten had wanted to see. The entire movie, both Sandy and Kirsten kept looking at their phones and the clock on the wall, waiting for Seth and Ryan to get back from the party. I don't know what they were thinking.

It's not been more than a few hours since I started writing, having been at this since Sandy and Kristen gave up and went to bed and I'm trying to wait up for Ryan and Seth to get back but…as it is nearing, wow two a.m., I'm going to just head to bed. Hopefully the boys are okay.

-Reagan Atwood-


	2. Chapter 2

Gemina Soror

Disclaimer: I do not own The O.C. that is Josh Schwartz. Anything and you recognize from the show is his work and not mine.

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Author note: I'm going to combine the events of "The Model Home" and "The Gamble" in this chapter. Let me know if you notice any glaring mistake or event that is missing.

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Chapter Two:

19th August 2003

Well, that was fun while it lasted. The morning after the Fashion Show, I woke up from sleeping in the Pool House to Seth and Ryan coming in _very_ early in the morning. Both looked like they had been in a fight, Seth looking like he lost really badly. I'm not sure if I should have been surprised that Ryan found a fight, but I am surprised that it was with Marissa's boyfriend Luke, who I know knew was: a- very prone to jealously and b- in need of anger management. Something else that shouldn't have surprised me was the fact that Ryan had seen Marissa's friends drop her off at home by carrying her unconscious body to her front door and leaving her there. I know that this is Newport but, come on! What if some pervert had come by and seen her passed out? Something very bad could have happened and it would have been Summer and Holly (I matched the description Ryan gave me to the girls I met the night before) to blame. Thankfully, my twin is a good guy and went down and carried her back to the Cohens' pool house to sleep off whatever she had taken. I woke up a few hours later to Ryan sleeping on the floor and Seth passed out in a chair by the window, both boys looking like they had gone ten rounds with a heavy-weight boxer.

Kirsten is what woke me, her having come into the Pool House looking for Seth and yelling "Thank God!" when she saw him. She looked really angry, which I can't really blame her for. She pulled Seth out of the pool house by his arm, but not before giving Ryan a very dirt look. I could tell then that she blamed Ryan for Seth's injuries. Ryan just gave me a look and I shook my head. I know Ryan would never intentionally hurt anyone; it's not the way he operates. But Kristen is Seth's mother and as far as I can tell Seth has never been the 'popular' type. He seems more introverted socially than he seems and as far as the reactions he got from the other kids our age at the Fashion Show besides Mason, he seems like he doesn't have many friends in Newport.

A few hours later, Sandy was driving Ryan and I back to Chino. Kirsten had put her foot down and said that we couldn't stay there anymore and, well, Sandy shouldn't have to fight with her over us. Ryan and I were ready for it anyway. We could tell that she wasn't comfortable with us and we didn't want to add to the tension. We said goodbye to Seth (after having to wake him back up from his hangover-induced coma) and gave him our cell-phone numbers so he could call us if he wanted (and I asked him to give Mason mine too if he could) and headed out. We passed Marissa standing in her driveway like she had the night we first met her and she just watched as Sandy's car drove away. The worst part of the whole thing is what we came home to when we got to Chino. The house was completely empty. Ryan ran through the house to check the bedrooms while I was stuck standing in the open front door in shock. Sandy must have seen me because he came up behind me and saw what we had. He just looked at us, Ryan having come up next to the kitchen counter where Dawn had left a 'note', and said, "Let's get out of here".

Sandy took us back to his house, where Kirsten was furious. But she was different when Sandy explained everything. We had nowhere to go now. Dawn didn't exactly leave a forwarding address for us and put dad and Trey are in Prison. Sandy, being Ryan's lawyer was able to get temporary custody of the two of us and we were able to stay with them until Child Services opened on that Monday. Not that I was okay with that. I may be only sixteen (we turn seventeen in November) but I know that foster care is not what Ryan and I need right now.

We spent dinner Sunday night laughing over Kirsten's apparent inability to cook. Sandy and Seth spent a while convincing Ryan and I that she had next to no culinary ability and that she should not be allowed in the kitchen, something that Kirsten took laughing offence to. Over all, we had a pretty nice "last supper" as Seth termed it. After, Ryan and I both signed papers that made Sandy out legal guardian until he could take us to Child Services in the morning, and making us, in Ryan's words, "property of the government". Seth was upset about the fact that, despite the extra room their house had, his parents were "shipping off" Ryan and I.

That night, Ryan got it into his head that he didn't want to be put into foster care and, with Seth (and apparently Marissa), took off to Kirsten's model home, leaving me asleep in the pool house. Yeah, that sucked waking up to. Apparently, Ryan didn't want to involve me and that Seth and then Marissa had caught him sneaking out of the Cohens' house, but why didn't either of them ask about me? Or Seth try to wake me? I was going to foster care too, but apparently I didn't matter to Ryan's plans. I woke up to Sandy coming into the pool house and asking where Ryan was. That led to me asking him where Ryan was. The realization that Ryan had left in the middle of the night hit me like a freight train and it was not pretty. Sandy and Kirsten called the cops. I stood by the front steps just hugging myself as they talked to the police officer, who kept giving me sympathetic looks. Seth came down and tried to leave past his parents when Sandy stopped him and everyone could tell that Seth knew what Ryan had done. He gave this pitiful excuse of Ryan going to Mexico for cock fights, which made me even madder. Sandy had the look on his face like he didn't believe his son either and Kirsten seemed even madder than before but let it go, sending the police officer on his way.

Sandy called his friends at the hospitals and around town asking if they had seen anyone matching Ryan's description while Kirsten got dressed and Seth disappeared. I sat in the living room just staring at nothing. I could barely hear Sandy and Kirsten talking a few feet away from me about Ryan but I didn't pay them any attention. Kirsten got a phone call and walk out front while Sandy came around to sit next to me. I don't know if he was trying to comfort me or something but I was completely out of it. He sat with me for a bit, trying to tell me that everything would be okay and they would find Ryan, but he didn't sound very convincing. Eventually, Sandy had to go to work and Kirsten left to take care of some work stuff, leaving me with Rosa.

Later on, Ryan told me that Kirsten came by the model home where he had been squatting and he, Seth, and Marissa overheard her talking with Marissa's dad, Jimmy Cooper, about Mr. Cooper needing Kirsten to lend him some money to cover some investment problems he had had with some clients. Marissa apparently took the whole conversation very badly, leaving Seth and Ryan at the model home after Kirsten and Mr. Cooper left. Seth eventually had to return home, leaving Ryan there alone. Until Marissa came back, ditching a party with Luke. Luke, being the paranoid boyfriend, followed her with some of his friends and they came across the model home. Luke saw Marissa run out and Ryan came out after she had driven off. Luke overreacted of course when he saw Ryan and thought that Marissa was cheating on him with Ryan. Maybe she was emotionally, but Ryan told me that he turned down her staying the night with him, which led to her running out crying. Luke and his friends followed Ryan back into the model home and beat him up. Ryan was knocking into a camping lantern that Seth had left for him, setting the things Ryan was using on fire. Luke's friends took off, leaving Ryan unconscious. Luke was about to leave himself but had a change of heart and went back to drag Ryan out of the burning house before getting into his truck with his friends and speeding off.

While this was happening, Sandy, Seth and I were driving around looking for Ryan, or at least Sandy and I were. Seth was quiet in the passenger seat. Sandy got a call from Kirsten about a fire in the model home and we raced over to meet up with her. Seeing the damage, and after having the lead firefighter tell his parents that it looked like someone had been living there, Seth finally confessed that Ryan had been hiding in the model home. Sandy and Kirsten took Seth and I back to their house and while Seth was in his room being interrogated by his father, Kirsten and I were outside by the driveway, waiting with police all around us. Marissa, Mason, and their parents were there too, Mason having drifted over to sit next to me, as if he could help in some way. Seth and Sandy came outside and walked over to us, the police officer from earlier meeting them halfway. But before either could say anything, a rumbling came up, preceding Luke's truck, with Ryan inside. After he came up towards us, Ryan apologized to Kirsten and Sandy, before he was arrested by the police officer that had approached Seth. As he was led towards the waiting patrol car, Luke watched until he snapped. He told the police that it was an accident, the fire, and that he was there. The officer said that Luke had to come with them too. As the two boys were loaded into the car, Sandy came up and told the officer that he was Ryan's attorney and that he shouldn't be asked any questions without him present. As Sandy got ready to head over to the police station, Kirsten went into the house, leaving the rest of us watching the police car pull away with Ryan and Luke.

For the few days, Ryan was in the juvenile detention center. Luke was released after a two day stay, and the Newport Group dropped the charges of Arson against the two boys. Kirsten let me stay with them for the time being. Sandy didn't want to bring me to a group home without Ryan otherwise we would probably be separated for a long time. So, while Sandy worked on getting Ryan out, I helped Kirsten with a small tea she was throwing for her Newpsie friends at the house and Seth sulked around the house, acting more withdrawn about Ryan not being there than I was, if you can believe it. After Seth groaned around the kitchen for a bit and Kirsten's group of friends arrived, I slipped out the kitchen door to the pool house where I was holding up. I had gotten what little of Ryan's things didn't burn in the fire and they sat in the corner of the room and I couldn't stop thinking of him when I saw the pile.

I had to get out of there so I ventured down the walkway to the beach at the foot of the cliffs the Cohens' house was sitting on. I must have sat there for hours, just watching the waves and the surfers. Finally, when the sun was starting to go down, I felt someone sit down next to me. It turned out to be Mason, who was still wet from surfing. He had seen me sitting there and came over to see what I was doing. We talked for a little bit about Ryan and what was going on with him. He grabbed his board and walked me back to the Cohen's where we found the house empty. Shrugging, Mason invited me to have dinner with him in town and I thought, 'why not?' Leaving a note for Kirsten and Sandy, we ended up at the Crab Shack and had a pretty good dinner and talked some more. I have never been good with relationships but was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to be comfortable with Mason.

When Mason dropped me off at the Cohens' I had a surprise waiting for me. Kirsten and Seth had apparently been to visit Ryan and, after some circumstances that they wouldn't elaborate on, Kirsten had gotten Ryan out and brought him home. You wouldn't believe how happy that made me to see him when I opened the door! Sandy too was surprised to see Ryan when he got home himself. He and Kirsten didn't know that we could hear them arguing in the kitchen about Kirsten jerking Ryan and me around but we could. I don't blame Sandy for thinking about it. I was thinking it too.

The next day Kirsten brought Seth, Ryan and I to the Newport clubhouse where they were setting up "Casino Night". The boys were to help move the heavy things around for the women and I was there so I wasn't home alone again. Kirsten was feeling bad about that. My being there gave me a front row seat to the soap opera that was Marissa and Luke. After Luke rejected the idea of getting back together, Marissa was angry at everyone that had testosterone, which included Ryan, Luke, and even her dad. Seth wasn't spared either and left me wondering what he did to deserve it. Mason was there also, setting up a photo station near one of the blackjack tables that I was stocking with decks and chips. He gave me some of the background of his sister and Luke's relationship and all of the ups and downs just gave me a headache, something Mason laughed at.

When we got back to the Cohens' Sandy was waiting for us, with Dawn, who I never expected to see again and I am not ashamed to admit that I did not like her timing. Ryan too was wary of her being here and I refused to even talk to her. I brought my stuff up to the guest room that Kirsten had given me to use and locked the door, not wanting anyone to follow me and try to get me to talk to the woman that had left Ryan and me homeless. At dinner that evening I barely spoke and refused to look at anyone, something that Ryan knew was my coping mechanism and he made sure to keep close to me to make sure I ate, which I sometimes don't if I'm stressed. Dawn was trying to get back into Ryan and my good graces and I refused to let her see my feelings. I knew that this sober, clean version of my mother would not last long and I didn't want to see it happen.

The next night at the Casino Night (which was last night), Dawn came along with us. Kirsten gave her a dress to wear and I was able to wear a dress that Kirsten had helped me pick out before Dawn arrived. Mason even said that I looked beautiful when he saw me, which made me blush and smile back at him. But the happy feelings were not to last long. Dawn, flush with success at the tables, was drinking. And drinking. And drinking. After she started losing, she had reverted to the Dawn that I knew from Chino and all her talk of change and being better for Ryan and I was gone. But that's not all that happened, apparently Kirsten had given Mr. Cooper a very big loan ($100,000) and Sandy was not happy to find out about it after the fact. The three of them had a hushed argument on the terrace and had a lot of people talking. Not that people weren't already talking about the Cohens; after all, they had taken in "two delinquents" as they referred to Ryan and I, not even caring that I had no record to my name and that Ryan had barely one to his own. The night ended when Dawn, drunk as a skunk, knocked into a waiter and had to be helped out of the ballroom by Ryan and Sandy. As if people didn't have enough to whisper about.

Dawn left this morning. If Kirsten hadn't caught her about to go, Ryan and I would have woken up to her gone again. But, since Kirsten had delayed her, we got the sad wave of a hand from Dawn as she walked to her cab. I went to the patio table and just cried in Ryan's arms. I didn't mean to, but I had gotten my hopes up. Ryan did his best to try and comfort me, with Kirsten helping, but I couldn't stop. My mother had left me. Yes I had Ryan, but my mother, the one person who should have loved me, didn't seem to want me. I don't know how long I stayed there, cradled in my twin brother's arms.

-Reagan-


	3. Chapter 3

Gemina Soror

Disclaimer: I do not own The O.C. that is Josh Schwartz. Anything and you recognize from the show is his work and not mine.

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Chapter Three:

20th August 2003

Newport, California

I'm sitting in the living room downstairs watching the boys play videogames, and flicking through magazines that Kirsten gave me to look at, saying that I should mark down the styles I wanted to try out when we went shopping later. She's getting the three of us ready for school and obviously Ryan and I need new clothes anyway. Kirsten and Sandy had sat Ryan and I down a bit ago and told us that they had gone to Child Services and said that they (the Cohens) wanted to be our legal guardians and that we would be part of their family, if we wanted to be. Ryan was hesitant but I was excited. Dawn and Frank had never really felt like parents compared to Theresa's mom and now the Cohens. Even Seth seemed more like a brother than Trey did. Ryan asked them what if something happened. Sandy joked 'something like what? You steal a car, burn down a house; beat up the captain of the water polo team? Those ships have sailed my friend' that got Kirsten and I smiling a bit but Ryan was still uneasy a little. Kirsten then said that Ryan would have to make sure he stayed out of trouble, no more fights. Ryan and I looked at each other for a minute and just nodded. Mostly I was wondering if Ryan could do it. He was very much a physical person and if he felt threatened he would lash out. The other guys our age here (besides Seth and Mason) had not been very welcoming and would mostly start the fights and Ryan would finish them. I just hope that Ryan can resist the temptation. Seth made some sarcastic remarks after his parents left that made Ryan more at ease and they got back to the game they had started but I figured that I should stick around the living room for a while and keep an eye on Ryan's mood, which led me to where I am now. Ryan is very introverted and although he is getting better, I still am going to keep an eye out for his moodiness to return.

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So apparent the Newpsies were are all running around these past few weeks and were setting up for "Cotillion". Kirsten says that it's the biggest event of the social season and that it is where "the accomplished young women of Newport make their debut into society". Seth of course made some sarcastic remarks about it just being an excuse for the debutants to get wasted and throw up on themselves but I could see that Kirsten thought highly of the event and I could see why. Ryan and I were hesitant about attending, thinking that it would probably be better for us to skip this event, Ryan because he knew he needed to stay out of trouble and this just screamed trouble and me because I would feel awkward being the only girl my age _not_ a debutant. Kirsten put her foot down however, saying that the Cotillion is a family tradition and that we are family.

Kirsten led us to the fitting area where the boys were told to grab a tux since they were to be "White Knights" and the stand-in for any girl who needed an escort. I hung back with Kirsten since I wasn't a deb and so didn't need to be fitted for a white gown. Ryan ran into Marissa of course and after telling her that we were now living with the Cohens for the foreseeable future, she said that now the two of them could be friends. Luke and Summer came up before Ryan could really respond and Luke almost started something but Kirsten luckily came up behind Ryan before anything could happen. Luke left in a huff and Kirsten, always the unflappable woman, told Marissa and Summer about Ryan and Seth being White Knights since Marissa is Lead Debutant. Summer made some, in her mind sultry, remarks and the two girls walked off as I came up to the group from where I had been watching.

Kirsten gave me a dress to try on, one of the not so white debutant dresses that I could wear to the Cotillion even if I wasn't being presented. As I was in the dressing room, I could hear Summer and Marissa talking in the one next to me. Summer apparently wanted Marissa to set her up with Ryan as her escort. Marissa tried to reason with her saying that she though Summer thought Ryan was 'a total psycho'. Summer responded with she believed that he was now more like a 'brooding bad boy. He's wounded, I can save him". Marissa then said that she didn't think Ryan was a bad boy but Summer just said, "He will be when I get through with him". It almost made me snort with laughter. Ryan may have the outward appearance of a bad boy but he was anything but on the inside. Summer then accused Marissa of being into Ryan, that she would trade Luke for him, and Marissa rejected the very idea, but the way she said it didn't make me believe her.

I was glad to be out of the dressing room after that. The dress Kirsten gave me to try, a nice silvery-white dress, fit perfectly. Even the seamstresses where impressed since apparently it was a sample that would only fit a model-like body type. The jealous looks I got from the girls who were milling around did not make me feel any less self-conscious. Kirsten, reading the room pretty easily, quickly let me leave the area while she got the boys ready to try on tuxes. I escaped and headed toward the central area where they were setting up the dance floor. I 'happened up' Mason there to my happiness and was able to relax with him as he did a dry run of his places for photos. He was apparently except from being an escort because of him 'working' and he was taking full advantage. He kept me entertained as he mimicked how his mother and Marissa were acting lately and later told me about his dad's money problems as we ate lunch together (after I got permission from Kirsten to leave with him. the smile I got from her made me a little too wary for my taste). He took me to a small restaurant by the beach and it was pretty nice. Not so "Newport" that I was uncomfortable but more laid back and…nice. We must have sat there talking after for a while because I got a call from Kirsten asking me to come home.

When Mason dropped me off (actually just driving into his driveway and walking me up his driveway and then up the Cohens' to the front door), Kirsten and Sandy were in the kitchen (and by the looks on their faces not having a good day anymore) and Seth and Ryan were in Ryan's pool house. Or so I thought. Ryan apparently went next door to talk to Marissa about him skipping out on Cotillion. Seth said that Ryan was thinking that Luke would start something if Ryan went because of the whole Ryan-Marissa-Luke thing. I later heard from Mason that he walked in on Marissa and Ryan in the entrance to his house, Marissa in her debutant dress and Ryan standing there awkwardly after helping to zip her up. I rolled my eyes when he told me this since I know how Ryan is with girls. Mason had apparently walked in when Ryan chickened out on telling Marissa that he wasn't going to Cotillion. He said that the look on Ryan's face was priceless.

The next afternoon Ryan and Seth were forced into the Cotillion dance practice. I tagged along to see the debacle. Ryan hates dancing. Seth may be awkward but Ryan just hates dancing. I couldn't wait to see it. Marissa introduced Ryan to his debutant partner, Anna Stern, which made Summer just about lose her mind. Summer was then stuck with Seth, which made Seth happy at least. Ryan warned Anna that he wasn't a good dancer but both her and Marissa both said that they would help him. I just smiled at him. When he caught my eye he just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Anna noticed and this made Ryan introduce me. Marissa showed Anna and Ryan the positioning for the waltz using Ryan as her partner. The way they were standing intimated some emotions that it probably shouldn't have but made Luke, who had witnessed it, very upset and he showed it. Ryan told me and Seth later that Anna had asked if he was 'the kid from Chino who stole cars and set people's houses on fire' and that she 'was making her debut with Newport's most wanted'. When he asked if it was going to be a problem she just said that she couldn't wait.

The dance instructor got everyone's attention and paired them back up to start practicing. She asked me to partner with an escort whose debutant couldn't make the practice and I shrugged. The guy, Alex, was pretty nice and was a good dancer. He was surprised that I could dance as well. What he didn't know at the moment was that I have been classically trained in ballet (the rec center near our house in Chino offered a dance class every weeknight and I attended since I was six and Frank went to prison, leading Dawn to her first- in my memory- drug habit). As we danced the waltz, I seemed to just lose myself in the music and since Alex was as good a dancer as any we quickly caught the attention of the others who were seemed to be amazed that we were that good. The instructor even asked if we had received lessons. I told her about my ballet and Ryan, who came up behind me, confirmed it (he had gone to a couple classes with me when Dawn got too bad and just sat watching). Marissa had this look on her face like she was both upset and angry, but was trying to not show it. It didn't work. Some of the other girls were pretty nice after that and mentioned that Harbor (the high school apparently) had a dance team and that I should definitely try out for it when school started. I said I would think about it.

Three hours later Marissa and her friend Holly Fischer invited Ryan, Seth, and I to a cookout that Holly apparently threw each year for Cotillion. Seth was confused as he didn't remember a cookout last year, leading Ryan and I to gather that there probably was one but Seth wasn't invited. The awkward moment was soon over though, since we had to leave to go back home and change out of the guys' blazers and my dress. At the party a little later that afternoon Marissa's caveman boyfriend Luke struck again. He apparently couldn't understand why Marissa would want to talk to Ryan and why Ryan wouldn't want to talk to anyone else, not realizing that Ryan didn't know anyone well enough to want to talk to them, and that Marissa, Mason and Seth were the only Newport teens he really knew. I watched from where I sat out on the patio with Mason and his friends in worry. Mason could tell, and so could his friends so they tried to distract me from my worry. It was nice of them. Ryan left soon, not wanting to get in a fight with Luke, but he did stop to make sure Seth and I had a ride back. The girls who were hanging around the patio all had awed looks as he kissed my head goodbye and left and I was then surrounded by a group of them all asking about Ryan and being the stereotypical smitten teenage girl.

After Kirsten, Seth, and I were ready to go to Cotillion the next night, Ryan and Sandy were both boycotting. Sandy for reasons I didn't know until later and Ryan because he didn't want to get in a fight with Luke and lose out on everything the Cohens were giving both of us. Seth tried to change Ryan's mind and I did too, but I didn't try very hard. I know how Ryan is when his mind is made up. I was uneasy now about attending without Ryan, especially since I would be the lone teenager at the Cohens' table. The three of us left the house with Sandy sitting in the backyard by the pool stubbornly and Ryan hiding out in the pool house.

When Kirsten, Seth and I got to the Country Club Seth broke off from us towards the dressing area to meet up with Anna, who since Ryan wasn't coming was without a date, and then wait for Summer to be ready. Mason waved me over from where Kirsten was talking with some of the other Newpsies. Mason was setting up his cameras at the other end of the dance floor from the staircase that the debutants would be descending so he could get pictures of them at the top with their fathers and then at the bottom with their escorts. He told me that he overheard Marissa and his mom arguing about Marissa not attending and possibly breaking up with Luke, both of which Julie apparently did not like at all. So, Marissa wasn't coming. Seth later told me that since Marissa wasn't there, that Summer quickly changed escorts and that Summer had said that Luke would escort her. Seth didn't seem to mind at first, since he had hit it off with Anna about 'graphic novels' and Marvel comics. Anna said she later found him sulking by the bathrooms before she convinced him to escort her.

By the time the entire night really got started, Ryan, Sandy, and Marissa showed up, which led to a fight in the dressing area. I was back there with Mason just mingling with the other girls and getting to know them more, seeing as they would be my classmates in a few weeks anyway. Somehow, Marissa convinced Ryan to go to Cotillion and so Sandy drove them both there. Marissa and Luke got into a fight over Ryan coming with her, even though Ryan had only been with her since they shared a ride. Marissa was obviously confused but Luke was spitting fire. Ryan got in between them before Luke could really go off but Luke then went after him when Ryan tried to walk away. Marissa stopped him but Luke just shook his head and walked away saying that he was done and they were over. The look on Marissa's face made everyone feel bad for watching. Mason broke away from me and went to his sister and led her to their mother, who had been standing with Summer watching and the three Coopers were quickly embroiled in a quiet argument with each other, Julie scolding Marissa, Marissa defending herself and Mason just trying to keep the peace. Anna mock scolded Ryan about ditching her but said that she was okay when he asked her who would escort her if not him; obviously she would be escorted by Seth. I smiled at the pair of them since Anna was the first Newport girl to really treat Ryan 'normally' here. Maybe it was because she had just moved to Newport from Pittsburg but I could tell that she would be a good friend to have. Julie and Marissa argued about Luke and then Julie mentioned that Marissa now had no escort. Ryan came up and said that he 'heard a White Knight was available'. Julie quickly said that she didn't think that him escorting Marissa would be appropriate but Marissa ignored her and said she would go get ready leaving Julie gaping at where her daughter has stood. Mason just watched with a smirk before returning to taking pictures of the 'before events'.

When the Debutantes lined up to be announced, Mason left to get in place and I stayed to help Julie and some of the other moms with the Debs. I could hear Summer complaining about how she 'went from having three dates to Cotillion to having none'. To which her friend Holly just said that it blows. I had to hold back a laugh at how she said it. Summer saw Seth and Anna coming into the room and waltzed over with a smile and said that she was available to escort again. Seth hesitated for a moment before looking at Anna and said, "No, no, we're going to go this way, no." and he and Anna walked away. I slipped out of the back and made my way to where Kirsten was sitting, Sandy having joined her. The head organizer was standing by the stairs with a microphone waiting to start.

As the debutants came down one by one, I followed Kirsten's lead and clapped when she did. I could see Seth and Ryan standing with the other escorts and smiled at them when I caught their eyes. We all clapped especially hard when Anna was announced and Seth made his way up to escort her. Kirsten had this proud look on her face and Sandy was just shaking his head smiling at it all. I loved the atmosphere. After Marissa, who was the last deb, was announced, I could see Ryan getting up his nerve for the dancing portion. I watched his face as they danced and it was almost painful trying to hide my laughter. The two of them started laughing and I shook my head, turning to watching the room. I noticed Jimmy Cooper talking with Holly Fischer's dad on the edge of the dance floor. Mr. Fischer got an angry look on his face and then sucker-punched Mr. Cooper, who fell in between the dancers. Everyone gasped and the debutants stopped dancing to stare at the two men who were brawling in the middle of the dance floor. Sandy rushed to pull Mr. Fischer off, but he punched Sandy. Ryan, being Ryan, ran over and tackled Mr. Fischer. Mr. Fischer was yelling that Mr. Cooper was a thief and stole his money as other dads got him off the floor and pushed him towards the doors away from Ryan who had also gotten up and came over by Marissa who was kneeling by her dad. Julie was sitting at her table mortified with a hand over her eyes. Mason had grabbed his youngest sister Kaitlin and was holding her, her face pressed into his chest.

The police came a little bit later and were interviewing everyone. I stuck by Sandy and Kirsten, Sandy holding an ice pack to his face where he had been punched and Kirsten was making sure he was okay, saying that she had never seen him in a fight or expected him to defend Jimmy Cooper. Sandy said that after he filled out a police report that they (he and Kirsten) should go over to the Coopers' to see if Mr. Cooper was alright. Ryan came by the table and apologized to Sandy and Kirsten about the whole 'not getting in a fight'. Sandy smiled and said that he thought they could let this one go and that Ryan should leave before the police questioned him. Seth left to walk Anna to her parents' car while Ryan went out to talk to Marissa, who was outside in the courtyard crying. Mason was breaking down his equipment and I went to help him, telling the Cohens that I would meet them at home and I would catch a ride with Mason. Barely then minutes after they left, Marissa came running inside crying and straight to Mason, begging him to take her home. He looked apologetic to me but I waved him off, his sister and his family needed him right now. I would be okay. I just hope the Coopers will be too. Ryan, Seth and I got a ride from one of Kirsten's friends back to the house and as soon as we did we just scattered to our respective bedrooms, all of us more tired than we realized. Now, all I can't stop thinking about it and I really hope that everything turns our okay.

-Reagan-


	4. Chapter 4

Gemina Soror

Disclaimer: I do not own The O.C. that is Josh Schwartz. Anything and you recognize from the show is his work and not mine.

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Chapter four:

22nd August 2003

It's only been a couple days since Cotillion and the fallout of Jimmy Cooper stealing from his neighbors has been spreading everywhere. Ryan, Seth and I were at the Crab Shack the other day and all I could hear from neighboring tables was gossip about Mr. Cooper and how Julie Cooper seemed to be hiding out. Seth wanted Ryan and me to try lobster for the first time saying that we needed to experience it because apparently lobster was a staple at some Newpsie parties we would have to attend. Ryan absolutely loved it, not like me. I liked the taste just fine it was the work to get to the actual edible parts that I don't like at all. Seth was trying to give Ryan advice about Marissa but Ryan brought up a good point. He had no car, no money to take Marissa anywhere. Why should he put himself out there with her if he had nothing to show? I have also been thinking about that and I had finally got a job near where Mason works actually. He works at a record store near Seth's comic book store workplace and I got a part time spot at the dance studio as an instructor. It's not much but it does help me feel somewhat independent having the money; especially with Kirsten buying Ryan and me new clothes and bedding last week. Seth asked Ryan what he planned to do when a busboy dropped a tray and the manager yelled at him to get out and that he was fired. Ryan got this look in his eyes which Seth and I laughed at. Seth just said, "okay, but you're hooking me up with free lobster" and Ryan went to apply for the job.

Yesterday morning before Ryan and I went to work, Seth was moaning about being alone again. We were passing through the house from the backyard when we came upon Sandy hiding from the Newpsies in the kitchen with Kirsten. They were discussing a spa weekend that they had planned with Julie Cooper that they didn't know if they should still go on after what happened with Mr. Cooper. Kirsten was trying to convince them that Julie had nothing to do with it and that they had had this trip planned for months and Julie was looking forward to it but the others were hesitant. They kept saying that Mr. Cooper belonged in jail and that he would get ten to twenty years for what he did, which Sandy confirmed was a definite possibility to the three of us before we all scattered out the door.

Ryan told me later that when he was getting the tour of working at the Crab Shack by his co-worker Donnie, that Marissa and Summer came in. Donnie had been explaining how he felt about the Newport natives and that it 'only appeared to be casual' and that if he could run for it he would have. Ryan and Marissa apparently talked, though I know that it probably didn't go well. Luke also showed up apparently, Summer must have called him to talk to Marissa since Marissa didn't seem to know he would be there according to Ryan. I could tell that something had happened between the two of them but Ryan wouldn't say anything else.

I on the other hand had a pretty good day at work. I helped lead a beginner ballet class with a dozen adorable 5-7 year olds, nine girls and three boys. And after that class was a ballroom dancing lesson for seniors many of whom I really liked. They made my day very entertaining. I went down to the Crab Shack after I got off to see Ryan thinking I could go home with him and met Donnie, who seemed….off to me. Like he was trying to hard or fake or something; I just can't put my finger on it yet. Seth came down the boardwalk as well to 'celebrate Ryan's first day on the job'. Ryan though was going to hang out with Donnie at a party with other guys from outside Newport so Seth and I went home together.

Today I went to the beach with Mason, who had invited me to hang out with some friends of his. They were actually pretty welcoming and I like them a lot. David Baker and Mike Adams seemed like Mason's best friends and they were unusually curious about me, like they were trying to see if I was good enough to be a friend or something. Mason told them to cool it and they smirked at the rising color on his cheeks but I just shrugged it off. Both of them teased Mason before finally stopping when their respective girlfriends Kayla Anderson and Brianna Wimbly (both of whom I had met at Cotillion) were able to distract them. I noticed that Marissa and Summer were hanging out further down the beach tanning it seemed. I asked Mason if that is what they do every day and he shrugged, saying that mostly he didn't pay attention to Marissa's activities unless he was involved. I could understand that, even as fraternal twins like Mason and Marissa Ryan and I didn't keep tabs on each other for the most part, only recently since we were so new to Newport.

Ryan called me (the Cohens had given us a cellphone each, which we were very grateful for) and said that he and Seth were going to a party a friend of Donnie was throwing, mostly because Seth wanted to hang out with Donnie and get to know him, Ryan only going to keep Seth out of trouble. He was planning on going over to the Coopers to help Marissa babysit since Mason was working tonight. I think he called so that I would help him if he needed to get Seth out of there. I seemed to be Seth's only weakness in the house, I could get him to do anything I wanted if I asked nice enough.

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Oh. My. God. Somehow Seth and Ryan totaled the Range Rover at the party. Sandy is not happy and since Kirsten is coming home from her spa weekend that night, well- I'm sure she will be _thrilled_ too. Seth told Sandy that the damage happened in the parking lot at the I-max movie theater (where Seth had told his dad he and Ryan would be). I don't think he believed him. Ryan and I just sat on the front stairs and stared at the Ranger Rover and the damage. Sandy called the insurance company but told Seth that _he_ was telling Kirsten and Seth told Ryan and I to pray for him. I just raised my hands and walked away. I was not getting involved in that.

This afternoon after Ryan and Seth both left for work Sandy took me to the doctors. I needed a new cardiologist and the Cohens had gotten me in to see a pretty good one that was recommended by some of their acquaintances. Dr. Abbott is very nice and put me at ease. She walked me through the questionnaire that I filled out and helped Sandy understand some of the terminology and such that he should know about. Dr. Abbott examined me and did the routine stuff: EKG, Echo and then had a nurse draw some blood for a panel of labs, just to make sure I was good since I hadn't seen a doctor in a while. The labs would take a couple of days to come back but as far as I could tell I was pretty good. I had been in so many doctors' offices over the years to not understand some of the tests Dr. Abbott had done.

After my doctor's appointment Sandy went into the office to get some case files and other things he needed to read up on while I went to meet up with Kayla and Brianna, who had invited me to have dinner at Kayla's house and then spend the night. I was excited since it was my first time sleeping over at someone's house (Theresa didn't count since she lived next door). Kayla and Brianna told me that they had been invited to Holly Fischer's beach house for another party but that they didn't want to go since Holly's parents had way to much alcohol and Holly's 'friends' didn't drink in moderation leading to things better left unsaid. Brian, Mike and Mason were going though for some reason. Brianna had just rolled her eyes at it and said that they were all idiots. Kayla and I laughed. The three of us sat up pretty late watching some old movies and looking through magazines before Kayla's mom told us to go to bed.

The next morning I heard about what had happened at Holly's party. Apparently Ryan stayed home and had a 'date' with Marissa. He cooked too, his famous grilled cheese, and they went for a late night swim (which I had to tease Ryan about later). Seth meanwhile went to Holly's party with Donnie, who low and behold was an ass and got into a fight with Luke, who was his usual self. Donnie pulled a gun which _did not_ help the situation. Ryan somehow got there and did something (neither Ryan nor Seth would tell me) but Luke was shot in the arm and the cops were called while Donnie ran for it. Ryan called Marissa from the hospital (he and Seth had followed the ambulance there to wait for Luke), since he figured that she needed to know. So, their special date ended in Marissa visiting her ex-boyfriend in the hospital. Wow, I missed a lot when I went away for a night.

-Reagan-


	5. Chapter 5

Gemina Soror

Disclaimer: I do not own The O.C. that is Josh Schwartz. Anything and you recognize from the show is his work and not mine.

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Chapter Five:

27th August 2003

Newport, California

So…. Kirsten's dad, Caleb Nichol, is in town visiting. Kirsten was of course going crazy trying to 'get everything ready'. She has had Rosa scrambling to get 'his' guest room sheets changed and basically wrangled Sandy, Seth, Ryan and I into going to the grocery store with her for more food than I've ever seen outside of a restaurant or catered party. I agree with what Sandy said earlier, that Kirsten 'thinks her father won't love us if we don't feed him enough'. The kitchen is almost overflowing with food and I am starting to get a little scared of Caleb's visit. Sandy is trying to lighten the mood with digs at Caleb (with Seth playing off his parents against each other as always) but I think he's only making Kirsten's mood worse and making Ryan and I more apprehensive about meeting our foster mother's father.

I mean, all I ever heard about Caleb is that he's a hard-ass and a take-no prisoners kind of business man; someone who you don't want on your enemies' side or coming at you personally. He's built half of Newport and runs Kirsten's professional life like a general directing an army. I can see why Sandy is a little…hesitant to play nice with his father-in-law. Also, apparently Caleb doesn't like that Sandy is Jewish (in Sandy's words) and 'different' from the kind of man that Caleb had wanted for Kirsten to marry. I mean, I can see that Sandy is not the stereotypical Newport man and that Kirsten's friends all seem to think that he is 'not up to snuff' but they love each other and I can only hope that Sandy's version of Caleb's attitude is skewed or something or this visit is not going to go smoothly.

As we were pulling the bags of groceries out of the back of the SUV, I could hear Kirsten and Sandy talking about Caleb in the kitchen. Kirsten was asking if Sandy could try and play nice with her father while he was here and Sandy said that he 'had to get it out of his system first' but that he would try and behave. Kirsten very seriously asked what Sandy thought about how Caleb's new girlfriend would be like (Kirsten's mother, Rose, died from cancer when Seth was little), Gabrielle coming with Caleb for the visit, but Sandy was being very sarcastic. He was adamant that 'she would be very well paid'. I couldn't help but gasp in shock when I heard this, making them both turn to see me frozen in the doorway of the living room holding some bags. Sandy apologized immediately and took the bags from my hands as Kirsten tried to steer the conversation to another topic. Sandy commented that Kirsten was too wired and that 'parents should make you feel guilt, not terror'. That was when Caleb arrived on the scene.

Apparently Caleb (who calls Kirsten Kiki for some reason) had let himself into the house while we were gone and had heard Sandy and Kirsten talking so he came down. As I watched Caleb greet Kirsten and Sandy, I could see why everyone said he was such a good business man, he was intimidating. As soon as Caleb was done greeting Kirsten he turned to Sandy and saw me. I was standing on the other side of the island trying to look like I was busy taking out groceries from the bags and not watching them. He seemed to dismiss me as he asked Kirsten where 'his grandson was' and headed out front, making me almost buckle with relief as he left. Sandy laughed a bit as he came around to help me, saying that Caleb was probably reserving judgement until he me Ryan too.

Ryan told me later that when Caleb came out, that Caleb had only greeted him as 'the kid that burned down his house', making Ryan and Seth both uncomfortable. Caleb's attention shifted away from Ryan quickly though, shuffling Seth into the house and off-handedly telling Ryan to bring the charcoal, wood chips and lighter fluid around back by the grill, as if Ryan was no more than hired help. As Ryan was back there, stopping by the pool-house to put away some things, he saw Gabrielle, who was coming out of the pool in the skimpiest bikini. I could see through the kitchen window the look on Ryan's face when he saw her and that alone made me laugh. Sandy, who was next to me, looked up when he heard and I could only nod my head towards Ryan, making Sandy laugh as well.

After Kirsten, Sandy and I finished putting away the groceries (while Seth and Ryan changed into their swimsuits and sat in the hot tub 'watching' Gabrielle float on a lounger) I was able to really 'meet' Caleb. He, Kirsten and Sandy were sitting in the living room having some wine and catching up as I came downstairs from changing into my swimsuit as well (with a cover-up of course since I didn't want to advertise the long scar down my front from my heart surgeries though you could see it if you knew where to look). I tried to go around them talking, not wanting to get in the way when Caleb called me over. Naturally, he didn't know what my name was, only calling out 'hey, girl' instead but I knew what he meant. I came over and sat next to Sandy, trying desperately to not show my anxiety. Sandy introduced the two of us and I stood to shake his hand, the look on his face changing slightly when I did. He asked me some questions, mostly about Ryan and my background and where we grew up with a little bit about school and what I wanted to do with my life. I answered to the best of my ability, and even inserted some of what I knew Ryan wanted to do, slipping in that Ryan was fascinated by architecture and building and that he had done some construction work before and had liked it. I tried not to mention anything about Frank or Trey, only saying that they were both out of the picture when Dawn left, and especially left out anything about my heart condition, not wanting him to know about that just yet. Finally, Caleb seemed to run out of questions for me and 'released me', letting me all-but run outside to join the boys.

When I got outside, Gabrielle had joined Seth and Ryan in the hot-tub (and put herself right in the middle of them too) and I shook my head at the three of them before starting some laps. I could hear the three of them talking about Seth and Ryan's 'dating life' or lack there-of, Gabrielle wanting to know if they had a date for Caleb's birthday party the next day. Seth gushed about Summer and Ryan explained a bit about Marissa's 'family falling apart and a boyfriend she may or may-not be getting back together with' and Gabrielle just laughed. She called over to me then, startling me out of the lap I was finishing. When I turned to her treading water, she asked if I had a date. Ryan just rolled his eyes, not wanting to hear about it and Seth smirked. I shrugged, and said that it depended on if Mason had family commitments or not, explaining that he was Marissa's brother and that either way I would be okay, I did have Seth and Ryan after all.

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Ryan left a little while later to go to work at the Crab Shack, Seth to go sailing with Caleb, and I went over to the Coopers to hang out with Mason. When I got there, Marissa was watching a movie with Luke, so I guess they are back together and Julie was out with Kaitlin 'saying goodbye to China' who I guess is Kaitlin's horse. Apparently they had to see China to pay back the money that Jimmy had stolen. Mason led me towards his room (he had commandeered a former guest room downstairs by the back area as his room when he was thirteen wanting some space from the rest of his family) as he explained the whole situation. The SEC was investigating Jimmy as well and had apparently started writing up potential charges against him. Mason said that it could be eight to ten years in prison if Jimmy is formally charged and convicted. Either way, he would be losing is trading license and was now responsible with paying back every cent that people had invested with him. The Coopers would be going through some tough times now. As we got to Mason's room, where he had some CD's he wanted me to listen to and some photos he wanted my opinion on, Julie came home. Kaitlin ran up to her room, obviously upset at losing China, and Mason followed her to try and calm her down, leaving me directly in earshot of Jimmy's office where he and Julie were now arguing. I couldn't hear everything, trying my hardest to tune them out so I wasn't eavesdropping while waiting for Mason to come back, but I could hear loud and clear Julie saying that she wanted a divorce. I cranked up the volume on the CD I was listening too and tried to not think about what I had just heard, desperate to make it seem like I had never heard anything to being with as Julie left the office and walked past Mason's room, stopping when she noticed me in there on his bed, listening to the CD playing. She stared to say something when Mason and Kaitlin came down the hallway, stopping her from saying anything. Julie's mouth snapped closed and she just brushed past her children and down the hall, leaving Mason and Kaitlin wondering what she had been doing. I refused to say anything and just changed the topic, asking Kaitlin about China. She was all too glad to tell me about him, letting me stop thinking.

I met up with Seth and Ryan for a late lunch on the boardwalk after Ryan got off work. Mason had some 'family time' he needed to do with Kaitlin and so he begged me to go have fun for the both of us (his half-pleading half-laughing look won me over). When we got to the boardwalk burrito stand, of course Summer and Marissa were there too (Seth thought it was fate of course, Ryan and I not so much). Summer stood up from the table she and Marissa were sitting for some salsa when the three of us came up, Seth followed Summer, who had asked for his help, while Ryan and I stood by Marissa, leading to some awkward silence until Ryan hesitantly asked about the party for Caleb the next night. Marissa interrupted him by saying that she was going with Luke, so Ryan just said, ok and that he'd see her then and left. I hesitated a bit, biting my lip to try and stop myself from saying anything. She was stringing Ryan along. First it was the party at Holly's beach house, then cotillion and the half-date a few days ago. If she wanted Luke then why was she trying to be with Ryan as well? It made no sense. She had no right to make my brother this insecure.

Seth told Ryan and me when we met up with him that Summer had agreed to go with him to Caleb's birthday party, leading me to wonder if Summer was only agreeing to get in good with Caleb- the richest man in Newport- and not because of Seth, who genuinely likes her. At dinner that night, Seth mentioned Summer agreeing to come with him to the party. Caleb was thrilled, saying that Seth was 'finally becoming like him' and becoming better at 'skirt-chasing'. I don't know what to think about that statement. He was always putting down the fact that Seth was not athletic or into any sports like 'he should be'. The skirt-chasing part was offensive at the very least and I could tell that my face didn't hide my feelings. I quickly got up and grabbed my plate, heading towards the kitchen before I wouldn't be able to stop myself saying something to Caleb that I would regret later. My stress must have been making my heartrate speed up since as soon as I got to the sink to place my dishes down; my ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator- or pacemaker) went off. The dishes crashed down as I bent over in pain. I could hear Sandy and Ryan both come running in and to my side, holding me as I rode out the pain from the shock. I could hear Caleb and Gabrielle in the background talking to Kirsten but I was more focused on trying to just breathe.

Eventually, I was able to stand up again and (after reassuring Ryan I was okay) Kirsten and Gabrielle helped me up to my room so I could change and lie down. Kirsten handed me my night pills so I wouldn't have to get up again and shepherded Gabrielle out before she could ask me any of the questions I could see burning in her eyes. Ryan told me the next morning that after Kirsten and Gabrielle had returned that Caleb had demanded Kirsten tell him what was wrong with me, saying that I 'was a delinquent and must have been faking it'. Kirsten immediately defended me while Seth and Sandy held Ryan's shoulders to keep him from retaliating physically. I could hear Kirsten yelling from my bedroom upstairs but hadn't known what she was yelling about. Apparently Kirsten had gone off at her father saying that I was not a delinquent at all and that I had a heart condition and was not faking my pain. That I must have been under stress from Caleb's commentary at dinner (she could only ignore her father's comments for so long) and my heartrate had spiked. She refused to elaborate, even with Caleb's badgering, since she knew that I don't like it when people know about my personal life and that my HCM and the ICD itself was a very private thing I like to keep that way. Kirsten refusing him led to Caleb starting in on other things and then Sandy joined the yelling. When Caleb started yelling about Ryan and the whole burned-down model home thing, Ryan, Seth and Gabrielle left the house and went to Ryan's pool house. Seth went up to his room to grab some hand-held games to play and while he was gone Gabrielle explained to Ryan about how Caleb thinks of every relationship as a 'business relationship' even family and even her. Gabrielle then started trying to…entice Ryan. Ryan, being a guy (and he even described it to me as just that) was all for it until he realized that Gabrielle was not what he wanted and stopped her before they got too far. Gabrielle left the pool house soon after according to Ryan, leaving as Seth returned, and even though Seth tried to get Ryan to say why Ryan wouldn't tell him. I think he was just embarrassed about how far it got.

At the party the next night, I was trying to just stay out of the way. Mason, who I told the events of the night before to since he could see that I was still not feeling all that great, was keeping me company out by the pool while Seth and Ryan wandered through the house and backyard with periodic stops by me to check if I'm feeling okay. Even Kirsten was making sure that I was okay; even though she was trying to make sure everything with the party was going smoothly, from the food to the flowers to the '75 Dom Perion champagne that Caleb liked best. Sandy was trying to help her calm down, since the argument with Caleb had forced some things into the open that were better left unsaid. The party got even more awkward when Summer arrived with Marissa, Luke, and Julie Cooper (Mason had come over earlier to hang out and had just changed here). Ryan of course got very broody at seeing Marissa with Luke, and being around Gabrielle, who was still trying to work her way into his bed, was not helping any. Seth was trying desperately to have Summer notice him, while Summer was only focused on the rich, older men that were at the party that she was forcing Seth to introduce her to, making Seth uncomfortable and me very fed-up with Summer.

When Jimmy Cooper arrived at the party, you could see the looks he received change from what others had been given. Some women were pulling their bags closer and keep a hand on any valuable jewelry, as if Jimmy would just walk up and take if from beneath their nose. Jimmy didn't seem to notice the change as he strode up to Julie, who was chatting with some of the other Newpsies. From where Mason and I were sitting, we could see the Coopers arguing, making Mason more tense. I figured that they were arguing about the money problems that they were having and Jimmy's solutions to try and fix it; but from what I could tell of Julie's reaction, she wasn't buying his 'excuses'.

Ryan left the party pretty early, hiding away in the Pool House, having closed the blinds and locked the doors so he could escape while Mason and I walked down to the beach to just sit without any other people around for a little while. We had done the requisite mingling that Kirsten had asked me to do (if I felt up to it was what she had said, but I didn't want to let her down). It was nice, just the two of us, to sit on the sand and watch the waves come in and out. No parental issues to deal with at the moment, no sibling drama for either of us to worry about. It was perfectly… normal. I felt bad leaving Seth to deal with Summer's 'mission to find a rich guy' but I knew that he would never agree with my thinking of her right now. But, maybe he sees something just don't. Maybe she is more than the shallow rich girl I see her as. When Mason and I came back to the party it was winding down. Seth was sitting by the pool by himself, when Summer came over. Seth was able to stand up for himself about her using him only to meet rich, older guys, and that did she know how embarrassing it was for him to just stand there as she gushed on about the guys as they just stared at her breasts. When she asked what guy was staring at her breasts, Seth got upset and said that none of those guys knew her, that none of them knew what kind of person she is (and he gave a lot of descriptive stories about how she was in third and sixth grade that she herself didn't even remember). He started reciting a poem she had said in sixth grade when Summer all-of-a-sudden kissed him. Mason and I just exchanged a look like 'what just happened?' I know that Seth has liked Summer since they were very young but as far as I know, Summer has never returned his feelings in any way. But… it seems like maybe I was wrong. Summer was then called over by one of the Newpsies, leaving Seth standing there with a look of both shock and elatement on his face.

I excused myself as Mason went over to Seth to congratulate him and went inside, were I found Sandy and Caleb talking in the kitchen. Sandy was telling Caleb that the only reason Caleb was angry with Kirsten was because Kirsten was 'doing so well without him. That she was soon not going to need Caleb to tell her what to do at work or a home'. Caleb didn't like this at all but it seemed like he just didn't want to argue. Sandy saw me standing there awkwardly with an embarrassed look, sorry that I had overheard their discussion. He brushed it off and helped me find some food since I hadn't eaten yet. As I loaded up my plate, I could see Kirsten and Caleb talking outside, and they seemed to have figured out why they shouldn't be fighting. It was nice, to see them talking without the added tension that had been apparent the last few days.

I went outside with a couple plates for Mason and myself, finding Mason (and Ryan) teasing Seth about the kiss with Summer. The poor boy was redder than a lobster and seemed to be getting darker. Luckily for Seth, my arrival seemed to change the subject away from the kiss and towards the summer's end trip down to Mexico in a couple days that apparently everyone in our age group is going on. Mason said that the trip happens every summer as a sort of 'get ready for school' last hurrah. I am kind of looking forward to it, it will be great to get away from the drama of Newport for a couple days and just get back into the mindset of school again. Maybe then things will settle down.

~Reagan~

 _Author's note: the next chapter will be the two episodes that deal with Tijuana and that whole drama. I will try to post soon, but it all depends on if I can get my ideas written down the way I want them._


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